Mumbo Jumbo blog post

 

Ishamal Reed described Jes Grew as a mysterious "plague" of rhythm, joy, and expression that sweeps across America, with its heart at Harlem. This epidemic threatened the quiet traditional ways of Western civilization because it is different and isn't really understood. But, while Jes Grew was portrayed as a fictional "disease" that became known as the Harlem Renaissance, it's pretty evident that Jes Grew never really ended, but simply resurfaced through different forms. As time has evolved, so has Jes Grew. With new forms of expression like social media, which provide new avenues for millions to share their content through dances, cooking, or simply sharing their opinions, Jes Grew has taken several forms by challenging mainstream norms. 

In Mumbo Jumbo, Jes Grew is made to be contagious, which perfectly aligns with modern music and dance. Modern music is constantly changing. As new producers enter the space and add new types of sounds and beats, the music is perpetually evolving into something new. Like Jes Grew, hip-hop thrives on sampling, remixing, and improvisation, each beat echoing Reed’s idea of culture as something alive and adaptive. 

Television and film are also good examples of  Jes Grew energy. Movies like the Black Panther films carry art that refuses to conform to traditional standards and instead carve their own path through creativity. The movie fuses art, history, music, and liberation, which shows how African expression continues to reshape the mainstream view while challenging who controls cultural power. One of the struggles between Papa Labas and the atonoists in the novel. 

In the novel, the Atonists represent systems of power that fear the chaos of cultural freedom institutions that aspire to control forms of expression. This conflict can be seen in the media, as companies and people in general frequently market trends that originate from marginalized voices. Jes Grew is shaped by the same platforms that make it possible for it to spread, sometimes erasing the cultural foundations of its origins. An example of this in modern times would be people criticizing black forms of expression through media due to the radical change they invoke. 

Overall, Mumbo Jumbo uses Jes Grew to express how cultural divides shape the way that our media is interpreted. The novel helps explain how sticking to traditional norms limits how people can express themselves through the media.